Plasma other methods

The choice between X-ray fluorescence and the two other methods will be guided by the concentration levels and by the duration of the analytical procedure X-ray fluorescence is usually less sensitive than atomic absorption, but, at least for petroleum products, it requires less preparation after obtaining the calibration curve. Table 2.4 shows the detectable limits and accuracies of the three methods given above for the most commonly analyzed metals in petroleum products. For atomic absorption and plasma, the figures are given for analysis in an organic medium without mineralization. 

Fundamentally, introduction of a gaseous sample is the easiest option for ICP/MS because all of the sample can be passed efficiently along the inlet tube and into the center of the flame. Unfortunately, gases are mainly confined to low-molecular-mass compounds, and many of the samples that need to be examined cannot be vaporized easily. Nevertheless, there are some key analyses that are carried out in this fashion the major one i.s the generation of volatile hydrides. Other methods for volatiles are discussed below. An important method of analysis uses lasers to vaporize nonvolatile samples such as bone or ceramics. With a laser, ablated (vaporized) sample material is swept into the plasma flame before it can condense out again. Similarly, electrically heated filaments or ovens are also used to volatilize solids, the vapor of which is then swept by argon makeup gas into the plasma torch. However, for convenience, the methods of introducing solid samples are discussed fully in Part C (Chapter 17). 

An important newer use of fluorine is in the preparation of a polymer surface for adhesives (qv) or coatings (qv). In this apphcation the surfaces of a variety of polymers, eg, EPDM mbber, polyethylene—vinyl acetate foams, and mbber tine scrap, that are difficult or impossible to prepare by other methods are easily and quickly treated. Fluorine surface preparation, unlike wet-chemical surface treatment, does not generate large amounts of hazardous wastes and has been demonstrated to be much more effective than plasma or corona surface treatments. Figure 5 details the commercially available equipment for surface treating plastic components. Equipment to continuously treat fabrics, films, sheet foams, and other web materials is also available. 

Decomposition of Zircon. Zircon sand is inert and refractory. Therefore the first extractive step is to convert the zirconium and hafnium portions into active forms amenable to the subsequent processing scheme. For the production of hafnium, this is done in the United States by carbochlorination as shown in Figure 1. In the Ukraine, fluorosiUcate fusion is used. Caustic fusion is the usual starting procedure for the production of aqueous zirconium chemicals, which usually does not involve hafnium separation. Other methods of decomposing zircon such as plasma dissociation or lime fusions are used for production of some grades of zirconium oxide. 

Surface Modification. Plasma surface modification can include surface cleaning, surface activation, heat treatments, and plasma polymerization. Surface cleaning and surface activation are usually performed for enhanced joining of materials (see Metal SURFACE TREATMENTS). Plasma heat treatments are not, however, limited to high temperature equiUbrium plasmas on metals. Heat treatments of organic materials are also possible. Plasma polymerization crosses the boundaries between surface modification and materials production by producing materials often not available by any other method. In many cases these new materials can be appHed directly to a substrate, thus modifying the substrate in a novel way. 

Potassium is analyzed in chemicals that are used in the fertilizer industry and in finished fertilizers by flame photometric methods (44) or volumetric sodium tertraphenylboron methods (45) as approved by the AO AC. Gravimetric deterrnination of potassium as K2PtClg, known as the Lindo-Gladding method (46), and the wet-digestion deterrnination of potassium (47) have been declared surplus methods by the AO AC. Other methods used for control purposes and special analyses include atomic absorption spectrophotometry, inductively coupled plasma (icp) emission spectrophotometry, and a radiometric method based on measuring the radioactivity of the minute amount of the isotope present in all potassium compounds (48). 

Other methods iaclude hydrogen reduction of TiCl to TiCl and TiCl2 reduction above the melting poiat of titanium metal with sodium, which presents a container problem plasma reduction, ia which titanium is collected as a powder, and ionized and vaporized titanium combine with chlorine gas to reform TiCl2 on cool-down and aluminum reduction, which reduces TiCl to lower chlorides (19,20). 

Onion-like graphitic clusters have also been generated by other methods (a) shock-wave treatment of carbon soot [16] (b) carbon deposits generated in a plasma torch[17], (c) laser melting of carbon within a high-pressure cell (50-300 kbar)[l8]. For these three cases, the reported graphitic particles display a spheroidal shape. 

In further sections extensions or adaptations of the PECVD method will be presented, such as VHF PECVD [16], the chemical annealing or layer-by-layer technique [17], and modulation of the RF excitation frequency [18]. The HWCVD method [19] (the plasmaless method) will be described and compared with the PECVD methods. The last deposition method that is treated is expanding thermal plasma CVD (ETP CVD) [20, 21]. Other methods of deposition, such as remote-plasma CVD, and in particular electron cyclotron resonance CVD (ECR CVD), are not treated here, as to date these methods are difficult to scale up for industrial purposes. Details of these methods can be found in, e.g., Luft and Tsuo [6]. 

In the following paragraphs, reports on XPS studies of a-C N H films are discussed. Most of the work that is discussed is not related to usual plasma deposition, but is related to ion-beam deposition, ion-beam assisted deposition, or other methods, because only a very few wide scope XPS studies on plasma-deposited a-C(N) H films were done up to this moment. Nevertheless, these results bring useful information on the role of hydrogen in the structure of a-C(N) H films. 

An alternative approach for the preparation of supported metal catalysts is based on the use of a microwave-generated plasma [27]. Several new materials prepared by this method are unlikely to be obtained by other methods. It is accepted that use of a microwave plasma results in a unique mechanism, because of the generation of a nonthermodynamic equilibrium in discharges during catalytic reactions. This can lead to significant changes in the activity and selectivity of the catalyst. 

Smithies vertical starch gel electrophoresis (S7) separates the plasma proteins more distinctly than any other method. If the Hp concentration is normal, the Hp type can generally be recognized directly after the staining for proteins, but sensitive and more specific staining for heme groups, e.g., benzidine, o-dianisidine (04), and malachite green (N5) are preferable. This technique consumes more hydrolyzed starch than the simpler original horizontal electrophoresis technique (S5). 

Before the emergence of radioimmunoassay as an acceptable analytical technique, a number of other methods were employed for the analysis of drugs in the plasma. Prominent among these methods were thin-... 

A study involving twenty-six laboratories was carried out to assess the quality of amino acid analysis, using samples of urine and lyophilized plasma. Coefficients of variation ranged from 13% for glycine to 65% for methionine. Automated IEC followed by ninhy-drin detection (37) seemed to perform better than other methods however, there was no clearly superior method and no analyzer clearly outperformed the others. This seems to point to the importance of personal proficiency and expertise in the performance of such analyses137. 

Several other methods have been published using RP-HPLC for the determination amphetamines and related derivatives. Studies have shown the determination of amphetamine and related derivatives in plasma, urine, and hair by RP-HPLC with precolumn derivatization and either UV/VlS or fluorescence detection. Various methods are employed by SPE technologies using Cl8 cartridges for sample cleanup prior to derivatization. The derivatized compounds were separated on analytical columns of various Cl 8 bonded phase materials. The methods generally used water/acetonitrile mobile phases operated in gradient mode. All studies reported extraction recoveries of 85-102% for all the analytes, with LLOQs ranging from 5 to 60 ng/ml (Tedeschi et al., 1993 Ealco et al., 1996 Hernandez et al., 1997 Al-Dirbashi et al., 1997 Al-Dirbashi et al., 2000 Soares et al., 2001). 

For the convenience of the reader, we have outlined the method of sequential flotation employed in our laboratory for separating chylomicrons VLDL, LDL, HDLa, HDLs, VHDL, and d> 1.25 bottom (Table 1). This method, the result of years of experience, has been highly reproducible in terms of the normal human population examined in this laboratory. Such a method may not necessarily apply to dyslipoproteinemic states, where modifications may be necessary, depending on the type of abnormality under consideration. It should also be stressed that any lipoprotein isolated is in need of purification this may be achieved by ultracentrifugation based on the assumption that contaminants are in loose association with the main complex. Whenever this purification is not achieved, other methods may be used as outlined below. For a discussion of the application of density gradient ultracentrifugation to the study of plasma lipoproteins, the reader is referred to a recent review (L3). 

Thrombin In order to stop local bleeding, thrombin, a natural thrombin drug that catalyzes the transformation of fibrinogen to fibrin, is frequently used. Thrombin is synthesized from cow plasma [75-77], and it is used to stop bleeding from open vessels when it is not possible to use other methods. It is used to stop light bleeding. Synonyms of this drug are thrombin, thrombostat, and others. 

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